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Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are commonly seen in primary care practice. As healthcare advances and those with chronic diseases live longer, recognizing the impact of patient disease burden through use of a validated tool such as the Assessment of Burden of Chronic Conditions (ABCC) scale is critical in delivering comprehensive care.
The (ABCC) scale is of great importance to help physicians better understand their patients' state when their disease is under control. I found it very interesting that the ABCC is reliable in patients living with both asthma and COPD simultaneously. This has led me to the question–would the ABCC tool be valid and reliable in patients with connected multi-comorbidities such as in diabetics who have lost their sight due to diabetic retinopathy, diabetics with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis as well as diabetics with advanced atherosclerosis? With diabetes and its complications on the rise, demand for an advanced ABCC is becoming very important. Having this in mind, are the authors planning a follow-up study with patients with multi-comorbidities?
Finally, smoking is a significant and ongoing problem in developing countries and especially the Balkans, such as my homeland North Macedonia. Given that most households have multiple smokers, would the authors consider adding a second-hand smoke exposure question, in the lifestyle section, if it were to be translated into Macedonian?